What if your biggest money challenges aren’t about math at all—but about the feelings and “financial scar tissue” you’ve been carrying for years?

In this episode of Women’s Money Wisdom, Melissa Joy, CFP®, welcomes fellow advisor and author Shannon Ryan, CFP®, to talk about her new book Your Money Has Feelings. Together, they explore why money is so deeply emotional, how early experiences shape lifelong financial habits, and what it takes to align money with what really matters.

In this conversation:

• What “financial scar tissue” is and how it quietly drives our choices
• Why money feels primal—and why society equates wealth with worth
• The hidden cost of “shoulds” like paying off the house or funding 100% of college
• Permission to spend: overcoming scarcity when you have more than enough
• Overspending as self-soothing—and ways to realign short-term habits with long-term goals
• Why micro-decisions (like raising your 401(k) 2%) create big momentum
• The psychological leap into retirement and why it feels harder than the numbers suggest

Key takeaways:

• Naming your money story is the first step to changing it.
• You can have anything, but not everything—clarify what matters most now.
• Progress is built on small, repeatable actions, not perfection.
• A trusted planner can simplify the math and hold space for the feelings.

Resources & Links:

• Your Money Has Feelings by Shannon Ryan, CFP® – https://www.amazon.com/Your-Money-Has-Feelings-Understand/dp/B0F1XH6DYD
• Author website: https://www.shannon-ryan.com

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